We've historically used the stick to prevent people from advancing too fast. Level caps are now gone, but I think we need an incentive to get people to advance slowly and spend time rp'ing.

Enter the badge system. At each city's board (or central place, whatever), we put up a station of tasks characters can undertake in the city (or the surrounding area). These are mundane boring stuff characters are assumed to be doing in their downtime (not logged in). Once they complete the task, they are eligible to receive a badge from the city. This badge can be requested at the board. The badges will offer bonuses like +1 attack, +5% magic resist, +1 ac, etc. minor benefits, but which can be done without.
A player can earn up to 4 badges. If you lose your badge after earning it, you can pick a new one up from the city you earned it at.

You can only earn the badges the first time you advance your character up. If you advance past level 10, you won't be able to earn a level 10 badge, ever. Each level of badge needs a certain amount of playtime at the appropriate level to be able to earn it.

This provides a mechanical incentive for characters to advance evenly, though they can opt not to. A character that advances quickly will never be as powerful as one that advances slowly. Feedback welcome.

maybe we give characters created before a certain date a pass on the requirement to be below a certain level, so they can get the badges simply by spending the online time. All future characters would have to advance evenly to get the full benefits... Or they could choose to skip it.

I really like the idea of incentive over punishment. And I definitely like the idea of people slowing down their pace of leveling. It seems to me that roleplay has suffered since the tax was taken away.

I'd suggest giving substantial rewards to people who take the time to roleplay. Something to really indicate "time spent": Perhaps a percentage increase to language points at the lowest tier, 10 extra skill points to spend, an extra feat, an extra stat point - I mean, these things are so costly, they're likely half the reason people feel so inclined to grind away as they do, anyway. I realize substantial rewards could almost become something "mandatory" but, ultimately they're not mandatory and nobody should cry about having to roleplay in a roleplaying game, anyway. There's a thousand other MUDs where it isn't required.

Also, I hate carrying things in my inventory so I'd personally rather just see the incentives as a bonus that appears on our 'quests' lists or whatever rather than physical representations.

Is there going to be a good and a bad list of things to do to earn these badges? And will they play off each other? like if a goodie does a task and gets a badge, some cool evil guy can come and do something that would take that badge from the good person, and that good person will have to do the task again to reclaim it?

IDK what the tasks will be, but if it's like "slay the zombie horde outside the city" and they do that, then some cool evil guy comes around and raises a bunch of zombies, will the good person still have that badge?

And i hope there is good/bad or neutral sections for this system, otherwise it's just giving an advantage to one side of the spectrum._________________Pangretor

I don't really understand the need to have a station in a city handing out imaginary tasks. Just let a player know when they've earned enough playtime, they can collect their bonus (by advancing), and move onto the next tier. Anything else is just complicating an otherwise simple process.

The reason why I initially conceived this as tying to a city is to eventually integrate into a reputation and renown / factions system and potentially allow for specific benefits while in that city/area in the future.

The reason for the "badge" is to make it easy to tie the benefits to an item and make it easier to code. The badges would weigh nothing, and I'd prefer if they could be adjusted like bandages to be worn anywhere and also have the ability to allow description changes.

The tasks would have both good/evil flavors and law/chaos. Definitely need some stations in areas which are not cities, for people who can't go into them.

Could have them in player's respective temples, that way you know what type of task you would be doing ahead of time roughly, and others couldn't come in and do tasks if they are not of that temple.

And when the factions are in place, would their be specific tasks that only a faction can do? or would there be a counter in place to see how many tasks a certain faction has done for a city/area? Shadow has been bannerless for a while...maybe a city/area could fly banners to which faction has completed the most tasks there to show who "controls" said city/area, and factions could wage their wars against each other for control over a city/area. That's sort of a lawful thing i guess, and would engorge lawful people's already fat egos.

As a player of chaos, I wouldn't see the point in joining factions which is fine, it won't be for everybody obviously, if they RP their character right and don't just look to pad stats.

I assume this plan is in the rough stages so just giving some ideas._________________Pangretor

Well I like it._________________PM me in the forum here when you want me on to RP or dungeon dive. The forum will automatically notify me by e-mail. Then my e-mail will send me a text message. Then I will get on likely within minutes.